Behavioral Issues, Absenteeism at Schools Increase, Federal Data Shows

The pandemic has taken a toll on student behavior and social-emotional development.

In federal data collected at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, schools report that the pandemic has “taken a toll on student behavior and social-emotional development.” Student misconduct, rowdiness, and more physical attacks between students have gotten worse compared to before the pandemic. Coming from a mixture of “different traumas and emotions,” students have become prone to burnout, have less motivation for school, and sometimes miss it completely. Chronic absenteeism has increased “at least [double]” since the pandemic, especially in households where students have to take care of their families. To support these students, schools are looking to use data to help the kids who have struggled the most, helping not only the attendance barriers but also academics and social-emotional challenges. The data mentioned in this article was released by the NCES, the “statistical arm of the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences.”